Website is ‘policy wonk heaven’

The day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo released his 2013-14 budget plan, members of his administration rolled out a new budget website they say will allow researchers, taxpayers, anyone really, to scroll through countless megabits of budget and spending records in state government.

“This is what the budget should be about,” Mary Beth Labate, first deputy director of the state Budget Division, said in presenting the site, dubbed OpenBudget (not to be confused to the Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s OpenBookNewYork that tracks contracts and other expenditures, or the Empire Center’s SeeThroughNY which also includes public employee salaries and pensions).